Celine by Robert Polidori

The Wall Street Journal had the photographer, Robert Polidori, photograph Celine's new headquarters in the elegantly reserved Hotel Colbert de Torcy.  Robert Polidori has taken the most hauntingly beautiful photographs of the palace of Versailles, as it was being renovated, and those photographs are full of ghosts in panniered court costumes and opulently tattered memories.

La Meridienne, the bed of Marie-Antoinette by Robert Polidori

The apartment of Madame Adelaide by Robert Poidori

Salle de bain of Marie-Antoinette, photograph by Robert Polidori

Those are a few of my favorites but back to Polidori and Celine.  The photographs of Celine's new headquarters were taken by Robert Polidori and they are beautiful!

The house of Celine had no proper home - there were offices scattered across Paris and the Hotel Colbert de Torcy is certainly a proper home.

My kind of home ; )

There is a grand stone staircase, a remnant from the original architect, Pierre le Muet... and the Phoebe Philo for Celine signature touch of the ficus tree in a custom planter by the Danish artist FOS:

Such a gorgeous and happy space:

The flooring, twelve types of marble sourced from Italy, France and Brazil, is similar to those in the Celine stores:

The workroom, an 'orangerie', is hidden behind a lush and whimsical wall of seagrass:

 "I believe in things be made beautifully made but at the same time practical."

Phoebe Philo

xo, Juliana

*all photographs by Robert Polidori from the WSJ

Inez and Vinoodh's Dior Secret Garden 2

I hope you saw Inez and Vinoodh's original Dior Secret Garden, if not you can see it here.  The palace of Versailles was obviously designed for ladies to run in their gowns and I am seriously pondering wearing a long dress and giving it a go the next time I visit La Galeries Des Glaces at Versailles.  

But in the meantime, from Dior, Secret Garden 2:

"among the centuries-old tress of Versailles... ethereal, radiant, royal... a realm of poetry and color... secrets whispered..."

Being There: Versailles and Hubert de Givenchy

Hubert de Givenchy retired in 1995.  Saying au revoir to all that, he was commissioned to redesign the gardens at Versailles.

Jacqueline Kennedy at Versailles in 1961 for the Kennedys' state visit to France.  Mrs Kennedy chose to wear Givenchy.  Mon Dieu!  What would Oscar de la Renta say??

Mrs. Kennedys' Givenchy ivory silk ziberline gown embroidered with flowers in silk, silk ribbon and seed pearls by Hurel.

Marie Antoinette's petit appartment de la reine and the cabinet de la Méridienne (her dressing room) in Versailles at night as visited by Alix, the cherry blossom girl.  I love visiting museums in the evening when they are quiet, nearly empty and the collection becomes almost personal and you are transported to another place, another time, another state of being.  Alix said, "at the end of the day, we were a small group in the dark and empty castle.  I still have goosebumps!"  Me too.

Photos from thecherryblossomgirl.com

Back to our Givenchy haute couture red silk cocktail dress covered in black flowers with seed pearls from the garde robe of a well known couture client which could very well have been worn to some intimate event at Versailles.  The dress is fitted at the waist and the skirt is lined in horsehair.

Cocktails in the garden anyone?  Or in the salon under candlelight?

Hubert de Givenchy haute couture red silk cocktail dress.  Size 4.

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